In the continuous casting of steel, a long, tube-like mold is used for pouring the moten steel into the upper end and permitting the steel to solidify as it passes through the tube-like mold. Thus, molten metal is poured into the upper end of the tube-like mold and at the exit end, solidified metal is removed on a continuous basis.
Such molds are formed of box-like mold sections which are open-ended and which are arranged end-to-end. Each section provides a roughly rectangular-shaped cavity or passageway through which the metal moves. Each section is also usually provided with cooling tubes or passageways through the walls thereof for removing heat from the metal to induce solidification thereof.
In many of these types of molds, the mold is gradually bent from vertical to horizontal so that the molten metal is gravity poured downwardly into the mold, but the solidifed metal exits in a generally horizontal direction.
The sizes of these molds vary but they are of considerable size, as for example, a mold cavity may be on the order of roughly three to eight feet, more or less, in length and on the order of roughly four inches to fourteen inches, more or less, in width. However, these dimensions are illustrative only, as the cavity sizes may vary depending upon the size of the finished product required.
In the conventional construction, each mold section is normally formed of a pair of parallel main or primary plate-like members, each having an inner facing or lining, such as of copper material, against which the metal may contact. The opposite edges between the primary plate-like mold members are closed off with narrow side mold members to complete the roughly rectangular shape of the cavity. Usually, these side members are held in place by bolts so that they are tightly clamped between the primary mold members.
In use of such continuous casting molds in a steel mill, from time to time, it is necessary to adjust, i.e., change, the width of the mold cavity to provide finished solidified metal of predetermined width. For example, at one time it may be desired to run on a width of 3 feet and at another time 31/2 feet, etc. Hence, to adjust the width of the conventional molds, it is necessary to shut down the continuous casting operation and then to manually relocate or move the side mold section members inwardly or outwardly relative to the mold cavity, to provide the desired width. This requires some considerable time both to permit sufficient cooling of the mold sections for manually working on them for adjusting the location of the side mold members, as well as considerable labor and effort.
Thus, the invention herein relates to an improvement in such continuous casting mold sections wherein the mold side members may be rapidly adjusted inwardly or outwardly relative to the cavity, with minimal time needed for stopping the continuous casting operation and with minimal labor and time.